Delta Leadership Institute alumni attend course at Harvard this week

The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is continuing its partnership with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS) to offer an advanced education opportunity exclusively to alumni of the Delta Leadership Institute (DLI) Executive Academy.

The program, designed and led by Harvard faculty, focuses on cultivating “authentic leadership” to move Delta communities forward. DLI will send 30 representatives from across the eight-state Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions.

The 30 representatives will gather on the Harvard University campus for the four-day course beginning Tuesday, December 3rd and ending Friday, December 6th. The program will be led by retired Air Force Brigadier General Dana Born, Co-Director at the Center for Public Leadership at HKS.

“I am very proud of Delta Regional Authority’s continued partnership with Harvard Kennedy School for Leadership Development,” said DRA Federal Co-Chairman Chris Caldwell. “Both DRA and HKS pursue a common goal of building communities and improving lives, and our efforts to further develop the Delta region’s outstanding community leaders helps us achieve this goal.”

The program brings together representatives of the public, private, and non-profit sectors from across the Mississippi Delta region. Caldwell and select DRA and DLI staff will participate along with the delegation of Delta leaders.

Leaders from Arkansas that are attending the course are:

Alex Johnston, Little Rock | Chief Communications Director, Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services

Cliff Jones, Jonesboro | Deputy Director, Delta Center for Economic Development, Arkansas State University

John Davis, Monticello | Assistant Professor, Director of Government Relations, University of Arkansas at Monticello

Len Blaylock, Warren | Production Supervisor, Hydra 70, General Dynamics – Ordinance and Tactical Systems

Eric Atchison, Little Rock | Vice President for Strategic Research, Arkansas State University System.